The proposed research deals with four distinct aspects of the effects of television advertising on children. The first study will examine the nature of message content and structure of commericals aimed at children, through an intensive analysis of approximately one hundred television commercials directed at children. The second study will examine the Information Processing of commercials by children as a function of age, message format and program content. The knowledge about information processing modes will be obtained through Piaget-type interviews with children. These data will be analyzed along four dimensions: effective response, mode of assimilation, differentiation, and level of judgement. The third study will investigate children's reactions (choice behavior, deliberation time, etc.), in a simulated store setting, following their exposure to discrepant information inputs concerning a product -- a commercial will provide the positive information, while the parent or a peer will provide the negative information. The mediating influence of parent-child relationship on childrens' reactions will be explored. Comparable differences between boys and girls and age groups will be analyzed. The fourth study will examine the effects of the race of the advertising model in television commercials on children's consumption-related preferences. Interviews will probe into children's awareness of the race factor in the commercials.